[Indaswamp]

If they ain't comming with this cold *** stuff...they ain't in the flyway...
next 10 days should be interesting...here's to hot barrels and cold nosed dogs... :beer:

 

[speckslayer]

made it out this morning, with nothing flying till the rain started and limited out in 20 minutes. all bluewings but with the season we've had up to this opint I'll gladly take a limit of teal. Was glad to see lots of migrators ahead of the front, big ducks flew all morning long but were high, you could tell they were new birds. Watched flocks of 50 to 100 fly until I was tired of sitting in the rain.

 

[Rick Hall]

Grrr... We've a 9:30 marsh curfew and had to quit with 10 teal and a couple spoons for four guns - just about the time the front hit and finally had some birds moving. Was slooooow for us prior to that. Though blinds to our east were binging pee out of black-bellies all morning.

Wish I could say we saw new big ducks, but there were only a few local veterans around while we were out.

 

[Bayou state shutterbug]

Hunted just outside of Monroe on Wed morning. Had to break ice all the way. Had a good woodie shoot but no ducks after that. Was rather disappointed. But it's definitely better than being at home . . . even it was 21 degrees!

 

[speckslayer]

went again this morning and only killed 1 bluewing. had a few early flocks but it seemed like they had been busted out of someones field, they knew where they were going and it was'nt to my spread. after about 7:30 there was nothing in the air.

I think the 2 day rule is in effect, they are gonna sit for 2 days and move as little as possible, but they'll have to get out and feed sunday.

 

[Indaswamp]

Well, we just got in from a trip to Venice and the birds WERE there...last week...apparently talking to my coona$$ buddy, the birds flew in after christmas, (although it was 1/2 of what we had last season...and last season we weren't hammering them every hunt.)
then about jan. 5-6th 80% bugged out...to where I have no clue...the teal and pintails to mexico no doubt...greys-don't know...didn't know they flew to mexico maybe southern texas?? we missed them coming through this year. :crying: this is the fastest I have ever witnessed the birds flying through Venice..this week guides are struggling big.. happy with 1/3 limits....I thought with all the birds farther up north that more would be on the heels of this cold weather...where the hell are the ducks?? sitting on flowing water in illinois???? :huh: W_T_H?? Anyone got any clues?? The river is 2-3 ft. higher than normal and that might have something to do with it....the birds have to dive for food...

We had a 1' ring of 1/4"ice around the deeks sunday morning...there were ice cicles hanging off the bayboats...and the channel markers had 4' ice cicles hanging off of them... last time there was Ice like that in Venice was '85....
This has been one strange season indeed....and why the hell are there not many birds in SE La.??

 

[Voodoo]

I hunt in SW LA. No one is killing anything in all this cold weather. What the hell? Not even geese? At least 8 other leases that I know of are way down from last year, and were all hoping to shoot birds on this actic cold front. Rice fields and marshes are empty. One of my friends shot 26 ducks in 6 days averaging 2 people per hunt. That's 2 ducks per hunt folks in arctic weather in a good marsh. This past weekend another camp killed 9 birds hunting 9 people in 3 blinds. This is good miami corp marsh. We didn't kill a single bird in the rice fields, and should at least be limiting on our specks.

No one has any answers. What the hell is going on? I've heard from many people with decades of experience, including me, who have never seen it this bad.

 

[Capt.Ray]

We got the same problem here in NC.They came and they went,I thought for sure yall would be mopping them up down south.Warmed up here the past few days 71 degrees today.

 

[yamaha783]

I hunt in SW LA. No one is killing anything in all this cold weather. What the hell? Not even geese? At least 8 other leases that I know of are way down from last year, and were all hoping to shoot birds on this actic cold front. Rice fields and marshes are empty. One of my friends shot 26 ducks in 6 days averaging 2 people per hunt. That's 2 ducks per hunt folks in arctic weather in a good marsh. This past weekend another camp killed 9 birds hunting 9 people in 3 blinds. This is good miami corp marsh. We didn't kill a single bird in the rice fields, and should at least be limiting on our specks.

No one has any answers. What the hell is going on? I've heard from many people with decades of experience, including me, who have never seen it this bad.

A few weeks ago, had a guide at the Oak Island hunting club (marsh next door to Cherry Ridge, south of Lake Arthur) tell me "Boy I've never seen it this bad." This man has been there since 1957, THAT's a problem. Marsh was in pristine condition, just no ducks. Did not fire a shot that morning in my blind, between three blinds 3 GW's were taken.

 

[Indaswamp]

I just talked to a buddy of mine tat has hunted down in Venice since he was in high school and he's in his 50's...worst season ever for them...and he hunts with some guys with deep pockets and they didn't kill much either. They hunt private land down river and upriver...well look at the bright side-Teal season is only 8 months away... :thumbsup:

 

[Rick Hall]

After being 31% down from last year's first split, my parties finished just 8% down for the season, so our second split was actually relatively strong. (The Cherry Ridge marsh mentioned above is on our northern boundary.)